In the morning, Ralf knocked on Sorn's door, only to hand him a stack of black masks with his signature grin—the kind that always made it seem like he was up to something mischievous. But that was just how Ralf smiled, so Sorn didn't think much of it. There was no hidden intention behind the gesture— he simply wanted to give the masks to Sorn, knowing that Sorn had asked him to bring masks instead of the pile of unused clothes sitting in his closet. Sorn thought he shouldn't have ended up with so many clothes, especially since most of them looked brand new, almost as if they had been carefully chosen to suit his taste.
Today, they were finally going out—after days of being stuck inside this building without even a sliver of sunlight, he could finally breathe some fresh air.
As usual, Sorn adjusted his mask. From what he had seen, the building they were staying in was underground, and the exit was a tunnel leading them out of the earth, concealed by rocks and the remains of ruined buildings. The distance to the surface was about 100 meters from their hiding place. And from where he stood now, there wasn't a single intact structure—everything around him was on the verge of collapse, reduced to rubble.
Ralf stepped closer, brushing dust off Sorn's shoulder. Watching the scene, Matthew rolled his eyes.
"Hmm, aren't you cold?" Ralf asked, staring at Sorn's hands.
Sorn frowned—he was wearing a thick sweater, socks, and a scarf around his neck. "What do you think?"
"You're not wearing gloves."
"It's cold, but not cold enough for gloves."
"I figured you'd say that, so I packed them in my bag. Ask me if you need them later, got it?"
Sorn silently nodded, but the guy shouldn't be the one talking. He wasn't wearing anything to keep himself warm in this kind of weather. However, Sorn didn't really care; after all, the guy was a leader, and he had no right to advise him on what he should wear. Still, wearing baggy clothes and no scarf? Did that guy have numb skin?
Matthew called Ralf's name to remind him to keep moving. Before taking another step, Sorn glanced back. Ralf mentioned that the people who had left with him earlier would return to their town by evening, meaning only Emil, Hilda, and Dean would remain in the hideout tonight.
There was no point in worrying—they had survived this long, anyway. But what made Sorn frown wasn't worry—it was the fact that only the three of them had gone out today. Wasn't it usually the leader who stayed behind, delegating tasks to the team? This was the same person who had sent his members to tail Sorn before. So, why did he leave the hideout so casually this moment?
They eventually arrived in an area full of empty houses. Ralf opened the garage, and Matthew pulled a car out from inside. They all got in, with Matthew taking the driver's seat.
"Sorn, can you drive?"
The question came from Matthew, who glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Ralf, sitting in the front passenger seat, also turned to look back.
"I can."
"Thank God." Matthew let out a sigh of relief and shot a quick glare at Ralf, who chuckled in response. "Ralf can't drive, so every time I go somewhere with him, I have to be the one driving. He doesn't even care when I tell him I'm tired or about to fall asleep."
"Hey! You're an amazing driver—our trips always end safely, even when you're half-asleep. Haha."
"That's just luck! Pure luck! Do you even remember the time I almost crashed into a tree? You kept telling me to keep going, no matter how hard it was to keep my eyes open!"
"Eh… you never taught me how to drive, so you can't fully blame me!"
"Ralf, you nearly killed both of us when I tried to teach you! You didn't listen to a single instruction!"
"Heh, don't shout at me like you're my dad, dude."
"Ugh, lord have mercy."
Sorn stayed quiet, watching the two men bicker in the front seats—Matthew grumbling while Ralf laughed as if Matthew's frustration was an overdramatic reaction.
This man had survived all this time without knowing how to drive. The thought of Ralf managing to stay alive, despite being hunted by military officials, felt absurd. It would be a lie to say that Sorn wasn't curious about his identity. But in the end, it wasn't any of his business, as long as he was safe in this group. Yet he couldn't help but feel frustrated with himself for behaving unlike his usual self.
Why I can't stop thinking about Ralf?
He had spent the entire night trying to recover his memories, but everything remained blurry. All he could clearly remember was his childhood with his younger sister. Was it normal for someone to forget most of their life? The only memories Sorn could hold onto were painful ones—memories that haunted him with nightmares. That was one reason he avoided being alone, exhausting himself by hunting zombies until he no longer had the energy to think.
Was this some kind of psychological issue? Was his mind erasing anything that might have brought him joy?
When was the last time he laughed and smiled genuinely, without the intention of acting on camera?
He couldn't even remember.
"Sorn, do you want to take a turn driving later? I mean, if I get tired, but my stamina isn't that weak, so don't worry about it."
Matthew kept his eyes on the road. However, the man sitting next to him didn't seem to like that question.
"How can you ask Sorn to drive?"
"Because he can drive."
"No, I'm not allowing that."
"What is this, favoritism?"
Matthew accelerated the car, swerving to avoid the rubble scattered in the middle of the road. From the way he drove, it seemed he was very familiar with the route.
"I don't mind," Sorn spoke up. Ralf shook his head at that. Meanwhile, Matthew smiled with satisfaction at Sorn's response.
The road, previously surrounded by dilapidated buildings as if it had just been struck by a devastating earthquake, finally led them to a stretch devoid of any structures. The road was quiet, with no cars in sight. It was no surprise—who would want to drive recklessly in a zombie-prone area?
Earlier that morning, Ralf had mentioned they would head east, where the zombie red zone was located. When Sorn asked why they were going there, the man simply smiled and said that all the questions in his mind would be answered once they arrived. He cut off the conversation as if leaving no room for Sorn to inquire further.
The supplies he had packed in his bag included canned food, bread, water bottles, and, of course, a pistol, along with a small knife that had been his companion for years.
Matthew drove quickly, and the usually loud man was oddly silent now. Sorn tried to peek over, it turned out Ralf had closed his eyes and pulled his knees up.
"He has motion sickness," Matthew said.
Sorn almost laughed at that but quickly adjusted himself back in the seat.
"Don't you want to take off your mask even after joining Ralf's group? Or is it perhaps part of your unique identity?"
"I don't intend to use the mask as part of my uniqueness .... I just, I actually want to hide my real identity."
"I heard Hilda, Emil, and Dean have seen your face, so I'm a bit jealous that I'm the only core member who hasn't."
"Ah, that's why…"
"They won't even describe what your face looks like. Well, I don't really care to the point I will force you, but it's annoying when they brag about having seen Mad Lucifer's face."
"Matthew, I didn't expect you to have a childish side too."
"Childish? Ha, ha…" Matthew's laughter was dry. He continued, "Has Ralf told you what we're going to do?"
"...No, he didn't even give me a chance to ask."
"Aha, typical. Maybe he just wants to show off."
"Show off?"
"He might be one of your fanboys, Mad Lucifer, and you know how fans like to leave an unforgettable impression. So he wants to surprise you."
Although Sorn couldn't see Matthew's face directly, he caught a glimpse of his amused expression in the rearview mirror.
"...But I'm going to ruin his plan," Matthew said. "Let me fill you in on what he's got in store for you, Sorn. That idiot in the passenger seat is planning to show off that he's immune to zombie bites and will ask you to watch him take on zombies all by himself."
"....."
That wasn't even a shock. From the beginning, Sorn had suspected that Ralf would want to take him out to hunt zombies, and if Ralf thought that would create an unforgettable impression on Sorn, he was sorely mistaken.
"He's a bit strange, but he's not a bad guy, so you don't need to worry about being part of this group," Matthew reassured him. Despite having just teased his leader, the tone of his voice held an unmistakable hint of admiration and respect.